The 19th Hole: Alan Brown

Photo: Lou Ferraro, Park South Photography

Alan Brown

Superintendent // Timuquana CC, Jacksonville, Fla.

Alan, what are you having? Crown and Coke.

Tell me about your family. I’ve been married 11 years to my beautiful wife, Carlyn. We have three kids: Knox is 7, Dylan is our 5-year-old girl and Hudson is 3. And they’re all crazy.

Where did the name Knox come from? Well, I went to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville … and my sister suggested it.

So, I don’t need to ask what teams you root for? Tennessee Volunteers, through and through.

What do you and the kids do for fun? Between church and soccer, that’s pretty much our life. We hit the beach as much as possible, but we really are spread pretty thin.

Tell me about Timuquana. Every town has that old traditional country club … and we’re that club in Jacksonville. It’s a 1923 Donald Ross, built close to downtown on the St. Johns River.

And you’re hosting the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball at the end of the month. How has the weather treated you going into the tournament? We average 50 to 55 inches of rain annually; we got over 80 inches in 2018 — and 10 inches came in December. That gave us a not-so-good start to 2019. It seems like we can be 22 degrees or 84 degrees in the same week. That’s tough on the grass because it never knows what to do — it never goes completely dormant. I wish it would. I wish it could sleep once in a while.

Who is your favorite golfer, and why? My father, because he taught me the game of golf. He plays to a 3 or 4, but I always tell him, he’s a 3 or 4 at his home course, so that’s why I take him to new courses.

What is your junk food weakness? Chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk. I cook them every night. I wait for the kids to go to bed so they don’t eat them all.

What’s the farthest you’ve ever been from home? Cape Town, South Africa, where my wife is from. Cape Town has everything. It’s almost like San Diego … there are mountains, beaches, cliffs, wild animals … and the wine is spectacular.

How will you and the crew celebrate the conclusion of the Four-Ball? That’s a good question … I’ve taken the guys to go ride go-carts before. I’ve grilled steaks for them before. What I’d like to do this time is treat them to steak dinners in the clubhouse. I’m going to tell them to put on their Sunday clothes and be ready to be treated like a member.

As interviewed by Seth Jones, March 13, 2019.